A fter watching floats full of Irish it was nice to relax and try some nice wines and a brew or two. Instead of their usual First Monday Drop In tasting Ninth Street decided to hold it after the St. Patty’s Day Parade held Saturday afternoon. A nice group of tasters decked out in green stopped by.
Several nice wines. The Rickshaw Chardonnay 2011 is a nice little chard that would make for a nice spring get-together. The most popular red was the Dream Tree Crush, a really nice red blend that made in corroboration with musician Dave Matthews.
But the surprise for me was the Clown Shoes “Genghis Pecan” Pecan Pie Porter. This is a nice dark brew with pecan flavors backed with vanilla notes. I bought a bottle for later.
Where: Ninth Street Wine Market
12 Ninth Street, Augusta, GA 30901
When: Saturday, March 16, 2013, 3-5 pm
Cost: $10 per person. 706-724-1442.
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Here are the wines presented (click to see more):
- Yellow Tail Bubbles 2010
- Quivira Fig Tree Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2008
- Rickshaw Chardonnay 2011
- Sun Garden Gewürztraminer 2011
- Cartlidge & Browne Pinot Noir 2009
- Dreaming Tree Crush 2010
- Coppola Ivory Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
- Zaca Mesa Estate Syrah 2007
- Chocolate Shop Red Wine
The Beer Line Up:
Here are the detailed wine notes:
Yellow Tail Bubbles 2010
Rip tropical fruit flavors create medium sweetness adn a light, crisp finish in this fun and fragrant sparkling white wine.
From: Austrailia
Winery: Yellow Tail
Year: 2010
Quivira Fig Tree Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2008
According to the Wine Spectator: “Decidedly tangy, with a serious acidic backbone to the lemon-lime, herb and Asian pear flavors.
From: Dry Creek Valley, California
Winery: Quivira
Year: 2008
Rickshaw Chardonnay 2011
The 2011 Rickshaw Chardonnay offers a zingy, racy, and lemony treat preceded by fresh aromas of apple and pear. The incredibly cool vintage aided in adding another layer of bright acidity to the mix. This wine has energy to burn.–From their Website
From: Sonoma, California
Winery: Rickshaw
Year: 2011
Sun Garden Gewürztraminer 2011
Sun Garden Gewürztraminer is a delightfully aromatic white wine. The flavor is spicy with hints of peach and mango. Medium bodied with an
optimal balance between rich fruit flavors, bright acid and subtle alcohol. –From their Website
From: Pfalz, Germany
Winery: Sun Garden
Year: 2011
Cartlidge & Browne Pinot Noir 2009
A brilliant medium-full garnet in color, the wine offers refined and classic Pinot Noir aromas of black cherry and plum jam, violets, cola, a touch of anise and nutmeg. All of these are framed by fine oak character, which add yet another dimension to the aromatics. This wine is full-bodied and rich, wiht suggestions of ripe black fruits, rosewood, and an inviting spice cake character; its tannins are just firm enough to contribute to a resonant finish. It partners wonderfully well with most any grilled or roasted red meat, as well as with poultry and feathered game. Also terrific with most light pastas and semi-soft cheese such as Tallegio.–From their Website
From: California
Winery: Cartlidge & Browne
Year: 2009
Dreaming Tree Crush 2010
When Steve Reeder and Dave Matthews first met, they realized they had a few things in common, like a passion for making wine at least as strong as their passion for drinking it. For the Dreaming Tree Wines, they set out to create an approachable Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Red Blend, finding inspiration in the down-to-earth characters and unforgettable flavors that give California’s wine country its rare charm.
At The Dreaming Tree, we think the best vintage is pretty much right now and the best pairing is your favorite people. Hey, there’s nothing wrong with collecting wine, but isn’t it more fun to drink instead?
The Dreaming Tree Crush is a dark red wine blended from some of the North Coast’s best varieties. These richly textured, fruit-driven wines are all fermented and aged separately before being individually assessed and integrated. A blend of the North Coast’s finest varieties, this wine pulls you in with a floral berry notes and then jumps up with a raspberry jam. A quaffable wine that is tasty with Spanish orange and onion salad, or with Vietnamese-style grilled ribs and rice.–From their Website
From: North Coast, California
Winery: Dreaming Tree
Year: 2010
Coppola Ivory Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
Part of their Diamond Collection. For our Ivory Label Cabernet Sauvignon, we combine fruit from appellations as far north as El Dorado and as far south as Paso Robles where some of our vineyards experience diurnal temperature extremes, which slows the ripening process and enhances the rich, succulent flavors of the fruit, as well as the complexity of the palate.–From their Website
From: Geyserville, California
Winery: Francis Ford Coppola Winery
Year: 2011
Zaca Mesa Estate Syrah 2007
Zaca Mesa Winery was the first to plant Syrah in Santa Barbara County in 1978. Today we farm 90 acres of Syrah on our estate comprising 9 different clones. The diversity of vine age and clones provides our wines with complexity and depth. Even with 30 years of experience with Syrah on our land, we continue to learn and improve our practices to make better wine. Our Syrah displays rich blackberry, cassis, espresso, mocha and our signature sage spice aromas and flavors. The silky finish lingers from the ripe tannins and smoky oak. This full-bodied wine should be enjoyed over the next ten years. A traditional pairing for this wine is a rack of lamb marinated in rosemary and garlic. Grilled meats and bold cheese will also pair well.–From their Website
From: California
Winery: Zaca Mesa
Year: 2007
Chocolate Shop Red Wine
What: A blend of premium vinifera red wines with natural dark chocolate. Sweetening the tongue for centuries, chocolate and red wine has been
the most reliable pairing in history. Chocolate Shop takes this pairing to the next level, marrying chocolate flavor with red wine to create a
sumptuous drink. We start with a proprietary red blend of the finest vinifera varietals, add a touch of oak and a kiss of sweetness to create
the perfect fruit-driven foil for the rich dark chocolate which unfolds in silken layers across the palate.
TASTING NOTES: Inviting aromas of black cherry and dark chocolate entwine and continue on the palate surrounded by hints of cocoa powder. Nuances of red wine and residual sugar linger on the smooth finish. Chocolate Shop, the ultimate “Chocolate Lover’s Wine” is a deep, ruby
red wine blendedwith rich, velvety chocolate. Chocolate Shop provides you with an indulgent wine experience like no other.
Winery: Chocolate Shop
Guinness Draught
What: Brewed at St. James Gate, Dublin. This bottle has a special pressuring device inside that make it pour Guinness Draught. The bottle says “Hear something? That’s the rocket widget delivering you the same great taste of Guinness Draught.”
From: Dublin, Ireland
Brewery: Guinness
Full Sail Session Fest
What: Session Fest is a Czech-style strong lager (gotta love the Czechs!) called polotmavé or literally “light dark or semi-dark.” Brewed with 2 Row Pale malt, Munich malt, Caramel malt and Wheat malt and hopped with a blend of Glaciers and Cascades, Session Fest has a medium to full body balancing candy caramel and full malt flavors that are underscored by a spicy hoppiness that provides a nice perfume with citrus and pine overtones and a long clean finish. 6.2% ABV 26 IBU. –From their Website
From: Hood River, Oregon
Brewery: Full Sail Beer
Clown Shoes “Genghis Pecan” Pecan Pie Porter
What: Genghis Pecan Pie Porter reworks the original Pecan Pie Porter. The organic butter pecan extract we used, for me, overpowered the nose and made the beer taste oddly off and artificial, even though the product was all natural. This year we are using fresh pecans, roasted and ground locally (by our friends at The Gallows and Q’s Nuts), as well as the addition of brown sugar. There will be three batches made, with the second batch near completion. –From their Website
From: Ipswich, Massachusetts
Brewery: Clown Shoes (brewed for them by Mercury Brewing)
